MANILA–Singing Frank Sinatra’s iconic hit “My Way” in a karaoke bar in the Philippines can get you killed. The cursed but beloved song, sung out of tune, has led to brawls that have ended in death. But for Filipina caregiver Rose Fostanes, the song has made her dreams come true.

It was with “My Way” that Ms. Fostanes, 47, who looks after the elderly in Tel Aviv, won Israel’s first ever season of the X-Factor talent competition this week, surprising viewers and giving a face to the tens of thousands of overseas Filipino workers in the country.

She awed judges and won fans from early on with moving renditions of hits by Alicia Keys and Christina Aguilera. And she did it her way – humbly stating that she didn’t have much hope of winning. Now Ms. Fostanes has become a Filipina diva, and media have poured attention on the Manila neighborhood she grew up in but seldom visits.

During a press briefing on Wednesday, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda called Ms. Fostanes’ win “a victory” also for Filipinos.

“We are very proud that she has given the Philippines pride in the showcasing of her talent,” he said.

Speaking to the Wall Street Journal from Ms. Fostanes’s family home in southeast Metro Manila, Gina Camposano, her younger sister, said the family is still reeling from the shock of Ms. Fostanes’s victory.

Ms. Camposano said even though her sister’s voice is “outstanding,” she was often heckled during local singing competitions.

“She was called a pig because she was fat and small,” said Ms. Camposano. “The hecklers would even yell ‘get off the stage. It might collapse.’”

Although Ms. Fostanes enjoyed singing, she started performing to help earn extra money for the family, said Ms. Camposano, who described her sister as “loving and generous”.

Ms. Fostanes is the eldest of her four siblings. Their father left the family when they were young, and their mother was often too sick to work, Ms. Camposano said. That meant Ms. Fostanes became the family breadwinner.

“Her earnings were spent on food, medicine and education,” said Ms. Camposano.

A cousin, Ann Marie Fostanes, said during their teens she and Ms. Fostanes would sell fruit for money. “But singing was really her passion.”

Ms. Fostanes moved to Israel six years ago to work as a caregiver after stints in Egypt and Lebanon. Like millions of overseas Filipino workers, she often sends her savings back to her family in Manila.

They’ve used the money to renovate her childhood home, where most of her friends and relatives watched the live stream of the X-Factor competition online on Wednesday morning. A sister, Nancy, and Ms. Fontanel’s long-time girlfriend, Melinda Adel, were the only ones who went to Israel for the final rounds of the popular television competition.

Since Ms. Fostanes’s win, media have stormed the village where she grew up, making her family and friends feel like minor celebrities.

“It is a big honor to our village that we have a singer known not only locally but internationally,” said Luisa Engkanto, a secretary for the neighborhood council.

Ms. Fostanes is now among a number of Filipinos working abroad who have made their names in singing competitions, and she says she plans to dedicate her newfound celebrity to them — though it’s unclear if she’ll be able to perform in Israel given visa restrictions.

“I will continue to sing to serve as an inspiration for overseas Filipino workers,” Ms. Fostanes said by phone on Saturday.